40 years and counting…that’s how long Earth Day (April 22) has been celebrated worldwide to promote environmental protection and sustainability.

A lot has happened since 1970, but the goal remains the same – to promote and encourage worldwide commitment to preserve environmental resources. Whether it’s eliminating toxic cleaning products, using reusable shopping bags at the store, doing laundry in cold water, or recycling paper at the office, there’s an action for every person.

This year’s theme, A Billion Acts of Green®, hopes to register 1 billion actions before the global Earth Summit in Rio in 2012. Head on over to www.earthday.org to learn more about the history of Earth Day, or to register your green action at www.billionactsofgreen.org

Here are a few actions you can take right now:

-use a clothesline to dry clothes

-switch out traditional light bulbs with CFLs

-take advantage of natural light and save electricity

-put your computer to sleep or shut down completely when not in use

-turn off the television when not in use

-switch to reusable water bottles and fill up using tap water

-start using a soy-based all purpose cleaner for household chores

A lot of these are minimal or no cost actions that will actually help you save money.